>> this is "bbc world news america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation. newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good. kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and aruba tourism authority. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. you can find it here in aruba. families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the island with warm, sunny days, cooling trade winds, and the

crystal blue caribbean sea. nonstop flights are available from most major airports. more information for your vacation planning is available at aruba.com. >> and now, "bbc world news america." laura: this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washington, i am laura trevelyan. america's top intelligence chiefs defend their findings on russian hacking and the motives , calling it a direct campaign to interfere with the u.s. election. could living near a main road increase your risk for dementia? a new study is raising interesting questions. and growing up with a future president. why barack obama's half sister says their upbringing prepared him for office.

to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. the top intelligence official in the u.s. made it crystal clear to lawmakers today that russia interfered in america's presidential election and was behind the hack of democratic e-mails. appearing before a senate committee, james clapper squarely pointed the finger at the kremlin. president obama has been briefed on the final report and tomorrow his successor, donald trump, will get the same information. nick bryant starts our coverage. nick: washington is investigating what could be the biggest political break-in since watergate. in the 1970's it was the building of democratic headquarters that was burgled. in 2016, it was the computer system at headquarters, a robbery in cyberspace rather than in person. u.s. intelligence believes it was orchestrated by vladimir putin from the kremlin to help donald trump win the election.

senator mccain: i want to welcome all our members -- nick: today those allegations were aired publicly on capitol hill through the republican-controlled congressional committee. senator mccain: every american should be alarmed by russia's attacks on our nation. there is no security interest more vital to the united states of america than the ability to hold free and fair elections without foreign interference. that is why congress must set partisanship aside and provide comprehensive solutions to deter, defend against, and when necessary, respond to foreign cyberattacks. nick: america's director of national intelligence, james clapper, said he stood more resolutely by a statement made in october before the election that russia was interfering to help donald trump. he was asked whether it was an act of war. mr. clapper: whether it constitutes an act of war is a very heavy policy call that i don't believe the intelligence community should make, but it is

certainly -- would carry in my view great gravity. nick: the president-elect repeatedly rubbished the notion that he achieved a kremlin-assisted victory. he has publicly poured scorn on america's spies. he has also spoken approvingly of julian assange, the founder of wikileaks, who released the hacked e-mails and claimed the russians were not involved. that has enraged senators of both parties. senator mccaskill: who is the benefactor of someone about to become commander in chief trashing the intelligence community? mr. clapper: i think there is a difference between skepticism and disparagement. senator mccain: director clapper, how would you describe mr. assange? mr. clapper: i don't think those in the intelligence community have a lot of respect for him. nick: then this blunt and direct message for president-elect trump from a senior member of his own party. senator graham: i want to let

the president-elect to know that it is ok to challenge the intel, you are right to do so. what i don't want you to do is undermine those who are serving our nation in this arena until you are absolutely sure they need to be undermined. and i think they need to be uplifted, not undermined. nick: trump tower these days has its own microclimate of twitter storms and today was no different. the president-elect took to social media to complain that journalists were being dishonest in saying he agreed with julian assange, and that he was a big fan of the intelligence community. the president-elect will receive a briefing from james clapper at trump tower tomorrow, and that has the potential to be a very frosty meeting. the key question, will it alter his present thinking, that the russian hacking claims are a cia cockup rather than part of a kremlin conspiracy? nick bryant, bbc news, new york. laura: for more on the allegations made against russia,

i spoke a brief time ago with the director of the kennan institute at the woodrow wilson center. the director of national intelligence confirmed today under questioning that the hacking from russia was not confined to the u.s. election. it is ongoing. what do you make of that? >> i think dni clapper talked in very broad terms about the effects of cyber attacks in the united states and russia was included in that. it was confirmation of, generally speaking, the talking points we have heard from the white house up to now. but remember, iran was in the picture, north korea was in the picture. this is one of the first really big discussions that has been had in the american government about the threat we face in the cyber domain. very interesting to me clapper , talked specifically about deterrence. are we in a new era of nuclear weapons, except instead of nuclear it is cyber? dangerous actors from attacking us with these new

weapons? he didn't have a lot of suggestions in that respect. laura: we have seen the obama administration act to expel those russian officials. there are more sanctions on specific russians. any evidence these are going to work? >> the sad part is that these are old tools, tried and tested issues, and have not changed russia's behavior with respect to ukraine, syria, to some extent with respect to north korea. we are seeing the troubling behavior we were trying to deter with sanctions. i'm concerned with the fact that we don't have a clear equation. number one, it is not exactly clear there is a redline. laura: does the u.s. have to have as good cyber capabilities as russia does? >> and this is what dni clapper said, don't try to deter ciber with cyber. do other things. presumably, do sanctions on the russian economy, name and shame individuals, diplomatic measures. but again, if those have not

worked in the past, why we think those would suddenly work in the cyber domain, specially with the confusion -- they are talking about a broad range of cyber actors and maybe it influenced the election, maybe it didn't. this is not a clear redline. it is like, don't nuke new york or we will nuke moscow. laura: it could get more muddled this year, because there are elections coming up in germany and france and russia could have an influence in destabilizing traditional candidates there. the germans have warned about the possibility of russian hacking. >> exactly right, laura. the messages being sent not only to russia but to china, north korea, iran, and the message or precedent is being set for u.s. allies. what do the british do in response, what do the germans do in response, what do the french do in response? we know that there are absolutely cyber operations and influence operations. that is not new. influence operations, information operations have been around since human societies

have been around. laura: thank you for joining us. could near a major road put you at a greater risk of dementia. that is the finding of a decade-long study by scientists in canada, who say one in 10 cases could be linked to living by a busy road. researchers say more work is needed to understand the link. our medical correspondent fergus walsh has the story. fergus: air pollution and noise, two of the downsides of living near a major road. but a greater likelihood of getting dementia, that is the theory behind a new study. this research shows for pretty much the first time there is a link between living near a busy main road and have increased risk for dementia. it shows that this could be a new risk factor we had not considered before. fergus: a study of 2 million canadians found around 10% of dementia cases in urban areas

could be linked to exposure to heavy traffic. the researchers found that living within 50 meters of a major road increased the risk of dementia by 7% to 11%. at 100 meters, the increased risk was 4%. leeds is like any urban center, congested and polluted. keeping the mind active is one of the benefits of this crossword club. so are members worried that city living might be harming them? >> i try to live a healthy lifestyle. i eat very well, i exercise regularly. and yet just by living near a main road, you could suffer major damage. that is concerning. >> it would not be a great shock to me, in the same way that went unleaded petrol was introduced, the connection between lead -- i

-- connection between lead and brain damage were proven, so i wouldn't be surprised. fergus: around 850,000 people in the u.k. have dementia. it gradually robs them of their memories and brain function. but the origins of the condition are not well understood. this research doesn't prove that heavy traffic causes dementia. it makes a fascinating link that requires further investigation. but there are already many reasons to avoid polluted air in our cities. it can cause serious breathing difficulties and trigger a heart attack or stroke in those already at risk. last year, british scientists found tiny pollution particles in samples of brain tissue, another hint that there may be a link between traffic and no -- neurodegenerative conditions. for now, the best advice to reduce your dementia risk is to exercise and eat healthily.

fergus walsh, bbc news. laura: significant study the re. president obama has just two weeks left in office, and one of his original campaign promises, to close the detention center at guantanamo bay, remains unfulfilled. today 4 yemeni prisoners who were just released arrived in saudi arabia. ur security correspondent gordon carrera visited guantánamo 15 years ago, and has this report. gordon: the evening call to prayer from inside the cells of guantanamo bay. for everyone here, these are uncertain times. president obama promised to close guantánamo when he first took office. but he was frustrated by congress, and it was a promise he was unable to keep. he is still trying to transfer some of the remaining 60 men to

other countries, including 4 at the moment. during our visit, the admiral in charge admitted no one knows what is coming next. >> we know that detainees have questions of are the transfers going to stop when the new president takes charge on january 20. we don't know, they don't know. their lawyers may speculate, but nobody knows. gordon: but in a tweet, donald trump has a clear what he thinks. "there should be no further releases from guantánamo. these are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back on to the battlefield." the uncertainty hanging over the base was clear as we toured the detention block. we were allowed to film detainees through one-way glass . we can't show their faces. one realized we were on the other side and displayed a hand-painted sign, a question mark with a padlock underneath. 15 years ago, this is how it began. i watched some of the first

detainees arrive in the hot cuban suon. it was the early days of what was called the war on terror. now we found the camp abandoned. it's a steel cages overgrown. permanent structures took its place, but they largely been emptied out. this used to hold 100 detainees, but since last summer it has laid empty and silent. part of president obama's push to close the camp. that has failed, and the question now is whether under president trump these cells will once again be filled with detainees. mr. trump: this morning i watched president obama talk about gitmo, guantanamo bay, which, by the way, we are keeping open. and we are going to load it up with some bad dudes. believe me, we're going to load it up. gordon: the colonel in charge of day-to-day operations tell me they could take in prisoners straight away. if they received the orders. >> we would be prepared to

receive some in the short term. if it were to become an extensive thing, there would have to be some additional changes to the structures, since we have closed one of the facilities down, we would have to find a way to open that back up. gordon: that would be a mistake, as the director of the cia told me in an interview last month. mr. brennan: guantanamo was set up in a unique time with unique circumstances. there is concerns about whether or not putting more people in that system is going to make it more challenging in the future to provide the type of justice that is necessary in order to handle the individuals. gordon: president obama's desire to close guantánamo meant he took no prisoners, literally. instead, increasing the pace of drone strikes around the world . one former official said this approach has created its own problems. >> i wouldn't say it is wrong to try to close guantánamo. absolutely right to try to close

it. but the way to close it is to conclude the conflict, not to try to start one at a time, closing it detainee by detainee while you are still in an armed conflict. the real issue is are we by so focusing on guantanamo inhibiting captures and incentivizing killing? gordon: if the new administration goes back to detaining suspects, how will it treat them? as a candidate, donald trump talked about resuming the practice of waterboarding banned by president obama. could that happen at guantánamo? >> i am confident that there will be no torture here, and whatever orders we receive, by the time they come to me from u.s. southern command, i'm confident those will be legal orders i will be ready to carry out. gordon: president obama has said that guantánamo, because of its reputation around the world, undermines rather than advances american security.

but it will now be up to a new president to decide what to do with those america is fighting -- where to put them, how to treat them. and so for now, the future of this place hangs in the balance. gordon corera, bbc news, guantanamo bay. laura: what next for guantanamo bay? you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come, dancers in las vegas looking a bit different these days. we will show you how artificial intelligence is making technology even smarter. 2 people have been killed and five wounded in an explosion in a turkish resort. the blast took place with armed attackers opening fire before detonating a bomb. two of the attackers were shot by police and the third is said to be on the run. officials have blamed kurdish

group the pkk for the attack. reporter: this cctv footage conveys the scale of the fatal blast. reporter: now the mangled wreckage of the car bomb at a checkpoint where several people have been killed and injured. turkish police say the bomb was detonated after officers attempted to stop a vehicle in front of the courthouse. eyewitnesses describe what happened next. >> i was at the security cabinet and a black car approached and crashed into a policeman. he got out of the car and exploded a bomb he had in his hand. iran into the market and lay -- i ran into the market and lay down on the floor. reporter: police shot dead a man they suspected of detonating a bomb, following a shootout involving the police and a number of men carrying machine guns. the area has now been sealed off

for further investigation. the governor has already said he believes kurdish separatists the pkk are behind the attack. the group has not claimed responsibility. it was just a week ago in istanbul that 39 people were killed in a terrorist attack carried out by the so-called islamic state. as security forces grapple with today's events in this normally peaceful seaside town, turks are again left with a sense that they are no longer safe in their own country. laura: it is that time of year when gadget gurus descend on las vegas for the consumer electronics show. nearly 4000 exhibitors showing off the newest in tech toys. this year there are many

products designed for the home that claim to use artificial intelligence. our technology correspondent rory cellan-jones got the lucky assignment and here is what he discovered. rory: in a penthouse suite at a ritzy las vegas hotel, smart home exhibits are on show. there is a smart speaker for children, where each toy is a playlist. >> ♪ everybody was kung fu fighting ♪ rory: a voice-activated door lock. alexa, what is the weather like in las vegas? here is another giant step towards a world where we talk to our devices. alexa, dance. in a world first, this chinese robot is controlled by artificial intelligence that helps it move and interact with humans. >> it will be able to detect that you are having a bad day, and it will try to cheer you up.

rory: and that is ai doing that. >> an interaction with software that is unscripted. rory: out on the road, cars are getting smarter. this bmw prototype is the most radical step so far towards making the driver redundant. i've been told it is perfectly safe for me to do this, take my hands off the wheel and turn all the way around. look around me, not actually concentrate on the road. a safety advisor is ready to take the wheel and order me to brake. how many years can this car be trusted to do everything? >> i think they believe that starting in 2021, highly automatic driving. not fully automatic. fully automatic driving will come up, say, 2030s. rory: out on the las vegas

strip, a young entrepreneur from manchester thinks he has a very smart idea. >> welcome to las vegas. rory: the instant translation headphones are not quite ready. but he is still looking forward to ces. >> it is important because we will be able to showcase what we are working on to the whole public, the whole world, to let them know this small startup with dedication and passion. rory: with giants like apple and google competing in the same field, the odds are against him. but like plenty of people here, he is betting that he has a product that can change the world. rory cellan-jones, bbc news, las vegas. laura: the future is robotic. his days in office are numbered and this week barack obama has been working hard to ensure his legacy. for the outgoing president's

half sister, the end of his administration is as much about family as policy. she grew up in hawaii and she tells the bbc about their younger days and how the -- what they will do leaving office. >> growing up, mom gave us a wide range of tools to become the people who we are. that being said, my brother was kind of a regular guy who loved his friends, who body surfed and played basketball. i think that hawaii has given my brother a sort of laid-back attitude and an ease within himself. he wasn't a candidate for school president or anything like that. he didn't have at least vocalized aspirations for that level of civic engagement. it wasn't until later that he became a little more serious, he became aware, after moving to l.a. and new york, aware of the challenges we face as a country and community, and sought to find remedies and think about his place in his community and in the country and world.

election night was surreal. president-elect obama: i will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. it belongs to you. it belongs to you. >> that night i could see all the faces looking at him, and they were inspired, excited. it was quite awesome to just recognize and understand how palpable their hopes and aspirations for his presidency were. i do think that he has changed. he has gotten wiser. he has become just a deeper version of himself. he obviously knows challenges with greater nuance. he has seen a lot of suffering and sorrow, whether it was through international disasters,

results of shootings in our country. those were for him the most terrible days. president obama: so our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. >> he often has said sandy hook was for him the worst day of his presidency. but i would say that he hasn't changed in any fundamental way. in terms of his relationships, who he is as a man, how he communicates, the things he values, i think he has remained remarkably unchanged, actually. he will not miss, frankly, the intensity of the spotlight of recent years. i think that he will be working. he will write, he will speak, and hopefully he will get some rest.

laura: president obama's half sister bringing today's show to a close . you can find much more on all the day's news on our website. to reach me and the rest of the bbc team, go to twitter. i am @lauratrevelyan. from all of us here, thanks for watching. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation. newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good. kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and aruba tourism authority. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. you can find it here in aruba. families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the island with warm, sunny days,

cooling trade winds, and the crystal blue caribbean sea. nonstop flights are available from most major airports. more information for your vacation planning is available at aruba.com. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.

captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. >> stewart: and i'm alison stewart. >> woodruff: on the newshour tonight: >> grow up donald. grow up. time to be an adult. you're president >> woodruff: i sit down with vice president joe biden at the white house, to talk president- elect trump, russian hacking and look ahead to the future of the democratic party. >> stewart: also ahead: what drives you. paul solman helps make sense of the science behind motivation, and how it can be used to create happier, more productive workers. >> woodruff: and jeffrey brown's conversation with the stars of the new movie "hidden figures" about the african american women behind nasa's success in the '50s and '60s. >> this one is importan